Combination hat and rainfall collector



June 22, 1948.

B. S. BOERINGER V COMBINATION HAT .AND RAINFALL COLLECTOR Filed Aug. 12, 1945 r l [raven $07" .137 I v mW/M diiorngys Patented June 22, 1948 COMBINATION HAT AND RAINFALL COLLECTOR Barbara S. Boeringer, Minneapolis, Minn., as-

signor-of one-third to John D. Akerman, and one-third to Irving M. Frisch, both of Minneapolis, Minn.

Application August 12, 1943, Serial No. 498,302

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-196) This invention relates to protective and safety equipment particularly designed for shipwrecked persons, sportsmen and others who in their duties and activities may be subjected to danger or discomfort from sun exposure, insects and need of.

drinking water.

The invention relates particulariy to a combination hat and rainfall collector which will afford adequate protection from hot tropical sun and insects and which further in an emergency can be advantageously utilized with an accessory part to collect rainfall and make the same usable for drinking or other purposes.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensive but highly elficient protective hat and rainfall collector, the several parts of which may be very compactly folded or rolled and conveniently carried in a small pocket for use if the occasion arises.

A further object is the provision of a combination hat and rainfall collector wherein a flaring or tapered crown member is provided at its central or apex portion with a filling conduit readily connectable with a collecting container having means for attachment to said crown whereby the hat in inverted position may be extended to catch rainfall and such collected rainfall may be stored for later consumption or use.

In the present world war lives have been lost and injuries have been sustained because of the inability of persons shipwrecked through torpedoing or other causes, or isolated in tropical locations Where no drinking water was available. The present invention is particularly applicable in protecting such persons from sun stroke, sun burn, insect bites and to make available means for collection of rainfall.

The foregoing and other objects will be more apparent from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the several views, and in whichi Figure 1 is a perspective side view of a person wearing an embodiment of the protective hat constituting that part of the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the hat inverted and extended and held for catching rainfall and having attached thereto the accessory element or container for collecting and storing the received moisture;

Figure 3 is a cross section on a much larger scale taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a plan view of a preferred form of, I

2 i i t a flexible bottle or container particularly constructed for combination with the protectivehat.

As shown in the drawings a hat Hofhoodlike shape is provided preferably constructed from some very flexible water repellent or relatively imperforate textile or fabric, as shown, being constructed from two similar pieces of suitable cloth stitched together along their side edges and having a skirt portion extending downwardly at the rear and side portions of the headiwhen worn. The crown of the hat is preferably tapered somewhat from the skirt edge to conform to and be supported upon the head and for an additional purpose later to be described. At approximately the apex of the crown, the two piecesof the hat are provided with tongue-like portions which. are

also stitched' together along :their longitudinal edges to form a tubular portion or filling spout 5 which when the hat is normally worn, with the seams on the inside thereof, is disposed beneath the crown against the head of the wearer. The hat as illustrated in Fig. 1 and as normally worn for protective purposes is in reversed or inside out position from the original position as made and as stated, with the filling spout 5 being disposed inside of the crown as indicated in the dotted lines. The hat H preferably is formed with a downwardly extended back portion 6 adapted to cover the neck of the wearer to protect the same from the suns rays. An annularly arranged strip of fine mesh flexible netting l, which may be of mosquito netting material, is stitched at its upper edge to the inside lower crown portion of the hat and is suspended therefrom, being of a length to extend to the shoulders and chest of the wearer.

The strings 8 may be provided having their upper ends stitched to the inside of the side portions of the crown and of such length as to extend beyond the chin of the wearer and be tied under the chin to retain the hat in place when subjected to wind.

Cooperating with the hat for collection of rainfall, is provided a flexible bottle or container B, as shown, constructed from a folded sheet of water-proof fabric and having a diminished filling mouth ID which when distended is of a diameter to nicely encircle the conduit portion 5 of the hat. As shown the bottle B is formed from an integral sheet of material cut on a pattern to be folded vertically and having its outer edges cemented or otherwise secured together with sealing effect. This container is preferably very flexible so it can be compactly rolled or folded with the hat occupying very little space. The crown of the hat and mouth portion of the container are provided with cooperating attachment means for securing the container in place to receive moisture from the hat when the latter is inverted and held in extended position. As shown,

such cooperating attachment means comprise a pair of flexible tabs ll cemented or otherwise secured at their lower ends on opposite sides of the tubular filling mouth of the container and having their upwardl extending ends provided with button holes or slits i la or other cooperating fastening means adapted to engage and be connected with buttons I? or cooperating fastening means secured to the inside crown portion of the hat adjacent the filling conduit 5.

In use the hat may be worn as shown in Figure 1 to protect the wearer from sun burn and insects. If insect protection is not necessary the netting may be folded upwardly over the crown portion and Will stay disposed in such position. The tubular filling conduit 5, being of soft fabric material, folds compactly against the underside of the crown when the hat is worn.

When it is desired to collect rainfall the hat is turned inside out from the position of Figure 1,

inverted and held in extended position as clearly shown in Figure 2 with the flexible bottle B connected therewith and supported from the lower portion of the crown and in such inverted position as shown in Fig. 2 the discharge or filling spout 5 depends from the lower portion of the crown. The filling throat I!) of the flexible bottle loosely encircles the filling conduit 5 of the hat and the bottle will be held in proper position to receive rainfall as it is caught in the hat and by gravity drops through the filling conduit.

The entire device, hat and container may be compactly rolled or folded into a very small roll occupying a cylindrical shape if thin fabric is used for the hat of not over four inches in length and having a diameter of less than an inch and a half.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangements and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A combined protective hat and water collecting receptacle, comprising a reversible, flexible crown portion of moisture impervious material and of proportions to fit the human head when in wearing position, said crown portion being provided adjacent the apex thereof with a flexible spout which, in wearing position of the hat, communicates with the exterior of the crown and lies between the same and the head of a wearer, said crown being readily deformed from its wearing position upon reversing the same in provision of a water collector and with said spout depending from the crown and in communication with the interior thereof.

BARBARA S. BOERINGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 473,608 Bonwill Apr. 26, 1892 I 599,686 Conlisk Mar. 1, 1898 1,636,889 Wittcoif July 26, 1927 2,367,006 Cape Jan. 9, 1945 

